Uploading Images, Photos, Audio, and Video to Your Website

Uploading images, photos, audio, and video to your website is not hard, if you have the right tools. However, there are some special issues that you should be aware of before you upload files online. For example, it is very easy to upload images and photos using ImageIsland Professional Uploader. ImageIsland uses a special ASP VBScript to manage all uploads of Images and Photos to your web server, which handles the transfer of bits up to the server. There, on your server, those bits are stored in memory as the file uploads, then carefully transferred to a physical file and location on the server, where the bits are translated into a file. When the final file is saved in this web site photo product on your server, the image appears right in your browser ready to view!

Other products like VideoIsland, go an extra step and actually provide a "loading bar", so the user can view the actual bits transferred to the server, as the file uploads. The script actually uses a special linked Javascript code block that passed down the state of the bits uploaded and saved on the server during upload. As the page refreshes in the user's browser, these values get updated on the client without the need for fancy Flash, plugins, or desktop applications.

Website products and tools like these show that using simple, traditional scripted web pages, you can create innovative solutions to the file upload problem on the Worrld Wide Web today. However, there remain serious issues with large file uploads, despite the many server and desktop solutions. Below are some issues to be aware of as you look for a solution to reliable web-based upload programs online.

How to Upload a File

When uploading files (like images), you have two choices. We will discuss which one is superior, and how to upload files to your website. First of, you need to understand the two choices you have when managing media online. This is a critical decision which will control the destiny of thousands of media files you choose to manage over the your lifetime. Making the wrong choice, even out of convenience, will cause problems for you later. When uploading and storing files online, you can either:

1. Upload files to your website and server
2. Upload files to a third party provider's website and server

You want to upload a photo, video or audio file you own to the World Wide Web and show it to others online, right? But before you upload your file, you need to know where you are uploading it to. Why is that so important? It is important because it determines how much control you have over the file you uploaded over the lifetime in which you view and manage the file online. Many people choose to use a third party provider to host their file. These companies will provide you free tools that allow you to get files to their servers quickly. Once uploaded, you can view your files online. But that may be a poor choice to make when hosting, uploading, and sharing your media files on the Web.

First of all, you do not know the long term fate of many of these companies, as those decisions affect your ability to maintain access and control over the media you have placed on their servers online. It may be a very poor choice for you, simply because your media file is now controlled and hosted by these companies, who now have you, your file, and the viewers who view them as captive audiences for their products, advertising and services. They also benefit from the search engine traffic your uploaded media file generates for them in their online domain and business. The more people that view your files on their servers, the more advertising and services they can sell. Thats bad! Very BAD!!! You may ask yourself....Why can't I store and manage my uploads on a domain or service I manage myself? So, before you upload, consider hosting that media yourself by buying a simple, or cheap web site and domain hosted by a Host Provider, like GoDaddy.com. They can provide you with free hosting or very inexpensive hosting for a website, as well as your own private domain. It may be better to store your photos and video on this domain as over many many years, you can be certain you maintain control over your uploaded files and media. For this reason, the best way to upload files is to upload images, photos, video, and audio files to YOUR website and server, not someone else's site.

In the end, the more dependence you have on one of these third party solutions, the more control they have over the life of your important media, and eventually, your life! Why, because over many years, you accumulate lots of information. If one of these companies changes hands, changes servers, changes systems, you could lose your media. Also, how do you plan to manage ALL your media online? The best way is using your own website and web url or domain. If you use one of these sites, you are trapped into using their tools, their proprietary systems, and over time, as your media needs grow, you could find yourself trapped by their inflexible solutions. In addition, business owners have bigger needs online when it comes to managing media. Maybe you want to share a Photo Portal for your private users. Can these third parties provide that feature? Maybe you want to manage gigabytes of data that exceed their free hosting capacity. What happens if you then decide to change services? How long will it take you to download all those files and upload again to another service? This is why its critical you buy your own website now and host and upload files to YOUR server and website. Web site hosting is the wave of the future and the way to go tehse days. Don't get trapped by these other upload/hosting services!

Uploading Files to Your Website

We will cover a couple options to help you understand how file uploading works, so you can build, download, or buy your own file upload scripts for your website. There are three main options for uploading media files to your website. We will discuss which ones are superior:

• Upload files using an upload script or webpage
• Upload files using FTP
• Upload files using third party software and browser tools

Many people do not realize this, but just like personal web site media hosting is your best choice online for the lifetime management of your files and media, so to is building or buying uploading scripts for their web server! Building, or installing a simple website or server-side file upload script or webpage is by far the most important and most valuable asset you can have. Why? When you build a website and decide to upload files to it, you want to use your browser to do that. This means you can be anywhere in the world, on anyone's computer, and using an Internet connection, upload, say, your valuable family photos or business images quickly to your personal web portal. It far superior to using some proprietary tool that requires custom installation or typing a different url just to upload a file. Desktop software may give you really fast and simple tools to get files to their server, but in the end, you are now having a dependecy on not only using their sites but using their custom software tools, which you them must install on other people's PC's just to upload a file. For this reason, building or hosting a simple browser-based file upload script is the most portable, and efficient longterm solution out there!

You want to consider either buying a script or building one. If you build one, there are millions of free scripts online that developers have built and used through the years. Many of these are open source, GPL, or public domain. The better option is to buy a software web product or content management system, like ImageIsland Professional, that has solved this problem for you. These products are very easy to install on your website and server, and also have the added benefit in that they are tailored for specific file types, like JPEG's, GIG's, MP3, MOV, Flash, etc. The process of adding an upload product to your server goes beyond uploading. It also means uploading and managing certain file "types". ImageIsland Professional and others help you tackle that problem on your web server quickly.

The next best option is FTP. "File Transfer Protocol" is an older, more reliable means to get files to your personal website and server. It genarlly better than most of the proprietary technologies companies are selling you for file upload online. All hosted websites offer FTP access to your site for free. If they dont, ask for it. Usually, you have to have a website and hosted service contract to have FTP enabled on your server.

Did you know that all modern browsers today have an FTP client built into them? That means you dont have to buy anything to use FTP. Just use your web browser and a connection to your website to move file safely to your web server! It's 100% FREE, too!!! FTP is the next best option as it is an very old protocol, designed to help people tackle the problems of uploading files online. In many cases its simple, secure, and fast. If you do not have the option to build your own upload script, or buy a script to help you upload files, try this option next.

The last option, and least favorable, is buying, installing, or downloading "third party" uploading tools. Unlike scripts you buy, build or run on your server, these tools force you to download to your PC a proprietary desktop utility that runs on your computer and allows you, using FTP, to connect and upload large batches of files. The benefits include the ability to batch large volumes of files to your server. But the downsides are very big, as well. First of all, you are required to add a dependency now to your personal computer, that you now must have installed in order to upload files. If your PC gets stolen, corrupted, hacked, lost or destroyed, you lose the ability to upload to your server. Second, you are using FTP in most cases to connect securely with your server. Anyone that steal your computer, now has the power to infiltrate and destroy your website presence. Lastly, because you already can use FTP for free through any modern browser to upload files, adding a third party tool that uses the same username/password/address feature, doesnt add new value. In fact, its an extra step, and a security risk. This goes back to the fuindamentals of good upload file management online....always choose the path of least resistance and simplicity, and you will go far.

Summary

In summary, when choosing to upload and manage files online, be sure to choose the RIGHT solution. We recommend the following as the best solution when managing and uploading files over the Web:

1. Host your OWN media on YOUR server and web site. Its easy, lasts a lifetime, and allows YOU to control your media. Buy a domain and website and always host your own media!
2. Build or buy your own upload Web Scripts. Do NOT use a third party desktop solution, proprietary web domain, or service to do this, as you can easily do it yourself. If you choose to build one, surf the web for free scripts to help you. If you dont have the knowledge or the time, try one of the many inexpensive server solutions, like ImageIsland Professional provides. Just upload their scripts to your server and you can start uploading immediately your files to your web site and server!
3. If all else fails, use FTP using your browser of choice. All modern browser have an FTP option build it, which allows you to enter login values provided to you by your Hosting Provider (of your website), and which using simple drag and drop action, allows you to copy files quickly to your web server. Do NOT buy software to do this. DO NOT buy expensive third-party tools, or services to help you upload files. DO NOT believe other gimmics trying to sell you "large file uploading" services, when all they are doing is what you could do....install a simple web site script on your server. Why host a file somewhere else because of an upload features, when you can do it yourself, and best of all, host it yourself. It's not necessary with simple, free FTP!